Track Record

LETTER WRITER Charles A. Carpenter and a long list of others keep giving a book report on the New Testament without apparently reading the book or series of books.First and foremost, nowhere in the New Testament does Jesus state that it's OK to hurt anyone - in fact, just the opposite. Love thy neighbor as thyself is one of the central themes.Those who call themselves Christians who kill or hurt, unless for their country or in defense of loved ones, will answer to God on judgment day.As for pagans, the track record is horrible.

Two days after a record-shattering showing at track and field's U.S. 20-and-under championships, 16-year-old Kaylin Whitney finally came back down to Earth and crashed in the comfort of her own bed. Whitney slept into the afternoon Tuesday after flying back Monday to Orlando from Eugene, Ore., where she broke Florida high-school and World Youth (under-18) records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Junior Championships this past weekend. "The time change really did get me," Whitney said.

The next commissioner for Orange County's District 2 must be prepared to act on behalf of a diverse constituency. The seat being vacated by Tom Staley represents an eclectic mix of rural, suburban and urban neighborhoods.Of the three candidates in the nonpartisan District 2 race, Bob Sindler offers voters the best track record of political experience to accomplish that task.As a state representative for the past 10 years, Mr. Sindler has energetically served state District 38, which covers northwest Orange County and a piece of Lake County.

CONCORD, N.C. — Denny Hamlin is in a hurry. He's driving like that, too. Hamlin — scrambling to make the Sprint Cup Chase after missing four races with a compression fracture in his back — set a track record at Charlotte Motor Speedway Thursday night with a lap of 195.624 mph. That puts him on the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday evening. "Normally I wouldn't commit myself to running a lap like that," Hamlin said. "I feel it's too dangerous … but we have a mission ahead and that's to try to make the Chase.

Yannick Dalmas doesn't seem to care that he set a track record at the Daytona International Speedway during qualifying for Saturday's Rolex 24 at Daytona.``Sure, winning the pole position is good, but it's a little disappointing for me because we could've gone faster,'' said Dalmas, who is one of five drivers of the Royal Purple Ferrari 333 SP. ``We lost speed because the track was so slippery.''Dalmas, from Le Beausset, France, still shattered the record by driving 129.20 mph on the 3.56-mile tri-oval/road course.

When Fred Rozelle read the note in The Orlando Sentinel about the Florida High School Activities Association AccuTrak not working for the Class AAAA Florida Track Championships, he was upset.He wants to set the record straight.''We want to have a first-class event, wherever the state meet is held next year,'' Rozelle said. ''And that means an AccuTrack that works.''Rozelle would neither confirm nor deny that Clearwater, and perhaps Tampa or Gainesville, have submitted formal bids to play host to the state meets.

As the dark clouds enveloped Gainesville Raceway on Saturday afternoon, Gatornationals competitor Jerry Eckman could hardly contain his joy.''Hallelujah, it's raining, hallelujah,'' said Eckman, who only an hour before the first raindrops fell eclipsed the Pro Stock track record. ''That No. 1 qualifying check looks awfully good.''With an elapsed time of 7.296 seconds in his 1990 Trans Am on Saturday morning, Eckman, 47, took the top qualifying spot in the Pro Stock division. He collected a $2,000 check for his effort later in the day when the final round of pro qualifying was washed out by more than an inch of rain.

In selecting a sheriff, Seminole voters need to pick someone having a track record easily identified with that job. The sheriff employs 563 people, spends $18 million annually and is responsible for the custody of hundreds of prisoners. No time to train.That makes John Polk the obvious choice on Nov. 8.In the Republican primary, Mr. Polk, 56, faced a challenger having academic credentials and excellent street police experience, but no management background. Now he faces Democrat Patrick Wilson, a sewage plant operator with two years of experience as a sworn police officer.

TAVARES -- The crime rate has gone up in Lake County, and so has the law-enforcement budget and taxes, sheriff candidate William "Bill" Weingartner is quick to point out in his long-shot bid to unseat the county's most popular elected official. Yet some folks don't know who the sheriff is or what he's doing in the community, Weingartner contends, making a pitch for Lake's top cop slot. "The bottom line is: He's done some good things," Weingartner said of his opponent, incumbent George Knupp, who is seeking his fourth four-year term as sheriff.

Not even a $10,000 fine could slow down Bill Elliott onWednesday, as he bounced back to win the pole for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.Winning the pole earned Elliott $37,500 and much more in self- satisfaction.Elliott broke the track record with a four-lap average speed of 170.901 mph around the 1 1/2-mile speedway. It smashed Tim Richmond's four-lap record of 167.078 mph set before last October's Oakwood Homes 500.Elliott's first lap was 171.712 mph to break the previous one-lap record of 170.827, which Elliott set last Saturday before The Winston.

LAS VEGAS -- Kasey Kahne wasn't ready to relinquish the track record at Las Vegas Motor Speedway simply because they changed the track. Kahne won the pole position Friday for Sunday's Nextel Cup race as he and most of the field obliterated the previous track record, as expected, thanks to the revamped Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The track was repaved in the offseason and its corner banking was raised to 20 degrees from 12, lifting speeds for this year's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Kahne set a lap record of 184.856 mph in his No. 9 Dodge for Evernham Motorsports, nearly 10 mph faster than his old mark, 174.904 set in 2004.